Farrell Opens Season With Silverbulletday Victory

Coffeepot Stables' homebred Farrell picked up a stakes win and 10 more Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points with a 2 3/4-length win in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes Jan. 21 at Fair Ground Race Course & Slots. 

The Malibu Moon   filly is now tied for second with Daddys Lil Darlin, each with 20 points, on the leadership board, just one point behind 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Champagne Room. 

Wayne Catalano-trained Farrell had earned 10 points in the Nov. 26 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, out running Daddys Lil Darlin there by six lengths.

In the Silverbulletday, which went off with a field of six, Farrell raced just behind frontrunner Gris Gris, who set moderate fractions over a muddy, sealed track. Heading into the stretch jockey Channing Hill gave Farrell the cue to run and she edged clear to finish the one-mile and 70-yard test in 1:44.01.

"It went accordingly," Catalano said. "Channing thought (Gris Gris) would have some speed, so I told him we would just go to the front and sit right off her. That's what we did. We had a nervous moment (at the top of the stretch), but not a whole bunch. You want to wait until mid-stretch here before you really worry. At that point, she was looking nice and Channing was sitting pretty good."

Hill was also happy with the way Farrell handled the race strategy.

"This is a very classy filly," Hill said. "She's bred to be a good horse and the whole barn has done a good job getting her to this level. She shut off really nicely for me, took a few deep breaths down the backside and then punched home when [Untapped] came outside of me."

The winner paid $3.60, $2.80, and $2.10. Wicked Lick closed to just get second for $5.60 and $3.80, while Gris Gris faded to third, paying $4.20. 

Summertime Sky, Untapped, and Seeking Bull completed the order of finish. Seeking Bull was eased in the final furlong after faltering but walked off the track.

Farrell is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Rebridled Dreams, making her a half to grade 1 winners J. B.'s Thunder and Carpe Diem  .

One race later, Kitten's Roar edged Prado's Sweet Ride by a nose in a field of five to win the $75,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes, giving Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Mike Maker their second stakes victory of the day at the track, and jockey Miguel Mina his third. 

The 5-year-old mare also gave her sire Kitten's Joy   his 75th black-type stakes winner. Bred by Dapple Bloodstock in Kentucky, she is out of the War Chant mare Bambolina.

Kitten's Roar went 1 1/16 miles on the turf course, which had been rated soft, in a final time of 1:44.92. Prado's Sweet Pride finished second while Cambodia was another 1 1/4 lengths back.